As New DSLR Sales Plummet, the Used DSLR Market Is Thriving

Although new DSLR shipments were way down in 2025, dropping from just under a million units in 2024 to under 700,000 in 2025, that hasn’t stopped used DSLR cameras from selling in big numbers.

Canon holds a massive share of the shrinking DSLR market. In 2024, for example, Canon sold nearly 800,000 new DSLR cameras. While that number obviously dipped last year, given that the total DSLR market shrank below 700,000 units in 2025, there’s no question Canon has maintained a massive share of the DSLR segment.

However, that’s for new units. When it comes to used DSLR sales, at least at the large used camera marketplace Minna Camera in Japan, it is Nikon DSLRs that photographers covet the most. A couple of weeks ago, PetaPixel reported that the most-sold camera at Minna Camera was the Nikon D750 DSLR, beating out nine other modern mirrorless cameras in the top 10 list.

Minna Camera has shared that, of all DSLR transactions on its marketplace over the past six months, 65.4% have been Nikon cameras, including popular models like the Nikon D750, D850, D500, and more. While Nikon sells relatively few new DSLR cameras these days, photographers are still clearly interested in the company’s classic DSLRs. Canon has a 27.1% share, followed by Pentax at 6.3%.

Minna Camera notes that prices for used Nikon DSLR cameras have also remained very steady, even while interest in new DSLR cameras has waned among photographers. The demand for classic Nikon models has kept the used marketplace very healthy.

This is not the first time PetaPixel has written about the popularity of Nikon DSLRs on the used camera market. It has been a pretty long-term trend, especially for Nikon’s enthusiast-grade cameras. Even much older models, like the Nikon Df, are still relatively expensive on the pre-owned market.

It will be very interesting to see if the used DSLR market remains this healthy moving forward, or if the precipitous drop in demand for new DSLRs is simply working its way toward the used market, too. The same collapse in the new camera market could certainly carry over to the used market, too, especially as used mirrorless camera and lens prices continue to drop as products inevitably age and are replaced by newer versions.

It is fascinating how different the used camera market is compared to the one for new cameras. Consumer preferences and behaviors can vary significantly. And as PetaPixel has written time and again, there are many great reasons to buy used camera gear and just as many excellent models available out there.

Image credits: Nikon. Header photo created using an asset licensed via Depositphotos.com.